Chapter 5: Organizing and Mobilizing for War Throughout February and March of 1861, southern delegates met in Montgomery, Alabama to write a new constitution for the Confederate States of America. Based in part on the United States Constitution, this document explicitly protected slavery and further established states’ rights ideology. The Confederacy elected Jefferson Davis from Mississippi as president and Alexander Stephens from Georgia as vice-president. The Confederate Constitution created a bicameral legislature much like that in the United States and moved the capital to Richmond, Virginia. The first role of the Confederate Congress was to raise funds for the war effort. President Davis quickly learned that the Confederate Congress would simply not agree with all of his policies and would require convincing and compromise. Many believe the Civil War to be mostly an eastern conflict but critical events took place in the West that shaped the outcome of the war. Confederate forces attempted to control California, Oregon, and Washington during the first years of the conflict. Though no large battles took place, Union supporters were able to control critical cities and forts, keeping the Confederacy at bay. In early 1862, the Battle of Glorieta Pass in New Mexico proved important as the Confederate loss allowed for Union control of the Southwest and secured California for the North. Native Americans also provided important allies in the West. Many Native Americans like the Apache and Cherokee sided with the Confederacy or the Union, hoping for better diplomatic relations after the war. Both the North and the South heavily recruited Native American soldiers. The Cherokee signed a treaty with the Confederacy promising men in return ©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012 for protection. After the Battle of Pea Ridge, the Confederacy could no longer protect the Cherokee and lost their support. Unfortunately, many of the hopes Native Americans had in giving their support for one side or the other were not fulfilled as conflict with the United States continued after the Civil War ended. As the war progressed, both the United States and the Confederacy relied on new advances in communications technology. The telegraph allowed information to be quickly passed to and from the frontlines. Yet wiretapping and the destruction of the lines themselves made the telegraph unreliable. As a result, the North and South utilized the Signal Corps that could communicate over long distances with flags. Railroads also proved important to maintaining supply lines and transporting troops. The lack of an extensive railway system and a standard rail width between rail lines kept the Confederacy from utilizing the rail system effectively as the North could with its railway system crossing many states throughout the northwest. Though antislavery sentiment rose in popularity throughout the North in the nineteenth century, few whites believed in granting blacks full social or political equality. In both the North and the South free blacks’ ability to vote and gain an education were greatly hampered. Lincoln maintained an antislavery stance throughout his political career and in his presidential campaign. Yet in 1861 the Civil War was not about freeing slaves but stopping the rebellion. The Confiscation Act of 1861 allowed for Union soldiers to seize slaves used in sustaining the rebellion. The Militia Act called for blacks to serve in manual labor positions within the Union army. Both the Confiscation Act and the Militia Act moved the nation closer to outlawing slavery. As the Union army moved southward, slaves and freedmen flocked to the army seeking ©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012 protection and freedom. Union officers became frustrated over exactly what they should do with these people, as they did not necessarily qualify as contraband under the Confiscation Act. Such frustrations and ambiguity over the issue of race and slaves helped lead to the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862. ©Routledge/Taylor & Francis 2012 .